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Being a self-employed entrepreneur brings freedom, autonomy, purpose and huge fulfillment. But there are some days when it can also feel like a huge challenge. Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. You need to produce. You need to drive momentum. You need to show up every single day. And you often need to do all of that completely on your own. So on the days you are tired, or feeling unworthy, or when you are feeling insecure about your choices, how do you keep showing up, even when your mind tries to tell you it’s time to walk away?

By remembering the real reason why you are doing what you are doing.

The mind wants it to be all about you

It can be very easy to get lost in the impacts of your business on you. How teaching yoga can make you stronger, how sharing a particular blog post can bring you a certain number of likes, how signing up 3 clients means you can afford your new laptop this month.

But hold up, before we go too hardcore on ourselves. This is also NORMAL. This is life and of course the work we do will bring us personal benefits – and why shouldn’t it?

However, the key thing to ask yourself, is will these personal motivations get you out of bed on a tough day? Will they be the motivators for you to say yes to a project which absolutely terrifies you? Maybe for some of us. Or perhaps some personal gains will support us in showing up for some of our projects. But what about long term? Will personal gains be enough for you to show up every single day for your mindful mission for the rest of your life?

I’m going with no.

If you are running a business with an intention to serve, an intention to share and support the world, then focusing on personal gains and motivation will only take you so far.

If you only do what you do for you, you’ll see the mind quickly gives you excuses to get out of things which push you out of your comfort zone or take things to the next level.

So, if it’s not about you. Who is it about?

A reason bigger than you

The answer to that question is very personal and intrinsically linked with what you believe is your deep-rooted mission but one thing I do know is that the reason needs to be bigger than you.

What pulls you out of your comfort zone and what drives you to get out of bed when you are feeling low will be a reason much bigger than you and your little world.

This reason bigger than you will be why you say yes to a new project even though you are terrified.

This reason bigger than you will be your inspiration when your income is taking a dip.

This reason bigger than you will be the fuel for showing up to do the work when you'd much rather stay in bed.

Whether that reason is to serve the world through yoga or meditation, or to educate people on looking after their bodies, or supporting people as they go through huge life transformations. Or maybe your mission is to help people learn to love themselves more (a personal mission of a close friend of mine at Blue Jay of Happiness). Whatever it is, when you are going it alone, maybe late at night, and your mind is telling you to completely quit, walk away, go back to the 9-5, it is at THAT moment when you need to turn to your reason. Your purpose.

For me, I teach yoga because I truly believe everyone in the world can benefit and feel better in themselves from starting a yoga and meditation practice. Remembering this when I am feeling low and not wanting to teach on a particular day definitely helps get me out the door and to show up to the best of my ability at my next class. There are people out there who will feel better and more connected with themselves because of coming to class. Huge motivator!

I am also a business coach for mindful entrepreneurs because I want to help people create sustainable businesses so THEY can continue to share their purpose or passion with people who need it. On days when I feel low or uninspired to write, I try and remember that there could be someone out there who has an idea or an inkling of an idea for their business mission and it could be my one Instagram post, my one blog post or my one free e-book which means they take THE most important step in their mission… the first step.

By bringing ourselves out of our individual little worlds and instead connecting with our real why we can be sure to come closer and closer to any business vision. And to do it with heart-felt meaning and authenticity.

More to come from me on practical tools to support you to stay connected to your purpose… but for any entrepreneurs, teachers, coaches out there – how do you stay connected to your purpose on those tougher days?